Even as Xbox drifts away from consoles and exclusives, former exec says the Xbox 360 set Microsoft up for success: "Look at them now, continuing to be the powerhouse – the global powerhouse"

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Even as Xbox drifts away from consoles and exclusives, former exec says the Xbox 360 set Microsoft up for success: "Look at them now, continuing to be the powerhouse – the global powerhouse" News By Ashley Bardhan published 20 November 2025

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We can call it what it is – Xbox is going through an identity crisis. Microsoft keeps trying to convince everyone that everything "is an Xbox," emphasizing on-the-go gaming, while also deciding that exclusive games are "antiquated." But former Microsoft executive Peter Moore, who oversaw the Xbox's and Xbox 360's rollouts, knows Microsoft wouldn't be entirely itself without the Xbox console.

"Look at them now," Moore tells Eurogamer, "continuing to be the powerhouse – the global powerhouse – that they are, powering so many of our work experiences, entertainment experiences, communication experiences. So much that Microsoft does is an everyday part of our life, and I like to think a little bit of that was because of Xbox, as simple as that."

"We were gamer-first," he says about Microsoft's strategy during his tenure, "and this was very much the foundation that we at Microsoft and the Xbox 360 laid down for what you see today."

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• Exclusive games are "antiquated," Xbox president says, because everyone's just going to go play Call of Duty, Minecraft, Roblox, and Fortnite anyway: "That's actually what's really driving community in gaming"
• Ex-Blizzard president Mike Ybarra says awkward Microsoft "this is an Xbox" campaign is the "wrong idea, wrong time": "Whoever came up with this clearly doesn't play games"

What you see today is sometimes unrelenting clouds. Experts tell GamesRadar+ that "Xbox console sales have really struggled," and something like Valve's upcoming Steam Machine could make it so "Valve becomes the preferred PC-console hybrid, meaning Xbox games strengthen Steam's ecosystem more than Microsoft's own."

But Moore seems undeterred. "Does there need to be a winner?" he says. "If there's somebody ahead, is the other guy a loser? We're a $200 billion industry this year. If you define somebody as leading and somebody second, that company in second place is probably doing billions of dollars worth of business. [...] Go look at Microsoft's stock price."

As of writing, Microsoft stock is down to $484, a 6% drop from last month.

Microsoft shares study of gamers that reckons a whopping 79% are "open to help from AI," but let's all stop to consider the sample size: 1,500 people.

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Contact me with news and offers from other Future brandsReceive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsorsBy submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over. TOPICS Microsoft Xbox Game Studios Ashley BardhanSenior Writer

Ashley is a Senior Writer at GamesRadar+. She's been a staff writer at Kotaku and Inverse, too, and she's written freelance pieces about horror and women in games for sites like Rolling Stone, Vulture, IGN, and Polygon. When she's not covering gaming news, she's usually working on expanding her doll collection while watching Saw movies one through 11.

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Logout Read more Xbox ditching hardware and exclusive games "makes sense," former Microsoft exec and Blizzard boss says, as "only a moron would continue" making consoles as games go third party    Exclusive games are "antiquated," Xbox president says, because everyone's just going to go play Call of Duty, Minecraft, Roblox, and Fortnite anyway: "That's actually what's really driving community in gaming"    Ex-Blizzard president Mike Ybarra says awkward Microsoft "this is an Xbox" campaign is the "wrong idea, wrong time": "Whoever came up with this clearly doesn't play games"    Valve's Steam Machine is "great news" for Microsoft because it means Xbox can just "make great games" and worry less about hardware, says former Blizzard exec: "All will go in the right direction"    Valve has done a "very good job" of building a "massive marketplace" on Windows with Steam, but Microsoft and Xbox are looking to go one step further: "We're going to be everywhere"    Former Xbox exec Major Nelson praises Valve's Steam Machine as "choice is always good," but doesn't think it should be dragged into a console war: "Not everything needs a winner or loser"    Latest in Xbox Arc Raiders Keeping the Memory walkthrough    Arc Raiders players were already grumbling, and after another patch of nerfs a fierce debate brews: crafting UI is definitely a mess, but should the stash actually get buffed?    EA claims Battlefield 6 is the "best selling shooter game of the year," but that's actually selling it short according to sales data    Clair Obscur: Expedition 33's record-high nominations at The Game Awards proves what I've been saying for the past 8 months    After five hours, Moonlighter 2 already has me hooked thanks to these five features    Krafton CEO confirms he "actually searched on ChatGPT" for "faster answers" amid legal battle with former Subnautica 2 leads, after the publisher dubbed accusations of chatbot use "a last-ditch effort"    Latest in News Even as Xbox drifts away from consoles and exclusives, former exec says the Xbox 360 set Microsoft up for success: "Look at them now, continuing to be the powerhouse – the global powerhouse"    Former Sega of America boss says leaving the console market was "traumatic" and "difficult": "We were in the eye of the storm of the PlayStation 2"    World of Warcraft lead assures worried MMO raiders that Blizzard removing add-ons is "to set ourselves up for being able to build content that will better serve all of our players"    MMO players get a sailing skill, immediately become pirates channeling a famous 2006 disaster: "Piracy as emergent gameplay is honestly perfect"    "I'm not going to recoup what I put into this for a long time," says returning Hytale owner, who previously said he'd offered Riot 10x what the dead Minecraft-inspired game is worth    The future of Westeros looks bright as House of the Dragon season 4 and A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms season 2 get confirmed by HBO    GAME REVIEWSMOVIE REVIEWSTV REVIEWS

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